What is the difference between Incompetech and Epidemic Sound for Commercial Use?

Incompetech (Free (CC BY 4.0)): yes. Epidemic Sound (Personal): limited.

What is the difference between Incompetech and Epidemic Sound for Redistribution?

Incompetech (Free (CC BY 4.0)): limited. Epidemic Sound (Personal): no.

What is the difference between Incompetech and Epidemic Sound for Client Work?

Incompetech (Free (CC BY 4.0)): yes. Epidemic Sound (Personal): no.

What is the difference between Incompetech and Epidemic Sound for Survives Cancellation?

Incompetech (Free (CC BY 4.0)): yes. Epidemic Sound (Personal): no.

What is the difference between Incompetech and Epidemic Sound for Refund Policy?

Incompetech (Free (CC BY 4.0)): no. Epidemic Sound (Personal): limited.

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Incompetech vs Epidemic Sound

Side-by-side comparison of licensing terms between Incompetech and Epidemic Sound.

License Comparison

Hover or tap any field name to see what it means. Highlighted rows indicate differences.

Field	Incompetech Visit Incompetech	Epidemic Sound Visit Epidemic Sound
	✓	✓
	✓	~Licensed only for personal content on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitch, and podcasts. Not for corporate or client use.
	✓	✓
	Not required	Not required
	✗	✗
	~Cannot redistribute raw music files as standalone tracks. Can use in synced productions.	✗
	✗	✗
	✓	✓
	✓	✗
	✓Published	✗
	✗	✗
	✗	~

Prices may vary by region and are subject to change.

Incompetech:

Epidemic Sound:

Incompetech

Free (CC BY 4.0)

Visit Platform

Epidemic Sound

Personal

Visit Platform

Price

Free

$9/mo

Prices may vary by region and are subject to change.

Download

Yes

Commercial Use

Yes

Licensed only for personal content on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitch, and podcasts. Not for corporate or client use.

Editing

You can use tracks in your projects, sync to video, loop, and trim. Cannot remix into new standalone music.

Yes

Attribution

Exclusive Rights

Redistribution

Cannot redistribute raw music files as standalone tracks. Can use in synced productions.

Print Use

Music - not applicable to physical print. This plan does not cover broadcast or physical media.

Digital Use

Yes

Client Work

Yes

Survives Cancellation

Forever

Lose it

Incompetech:

The free license requires specific attribution format: 'Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)' with the CC BY 4.0 license referenced.

Failing to provide attribution under the free license is a copyright violation.

Kevin MacLeod's music is extremely widely used - your content may sound familiar to viewers.

Epidemic Sound:

License is tied to subscription - content use rights stop if you cancel. Videos already published can stay up, but you cannot use tracks in new projects.

Personal plan is limited to individual creators. Using it for business or client work violates the terms of service.

Key Differences

Fields where these platforms differ

Commercial Use

Incompetech:✓

Epidemic Sound:~Licensed only for personal content on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitch, and podcasts. Not for corporate or client use.

Redistribution

Incompetech:~Cannot redistribute raw music files as standalone tracks. Can use in synced productions.

Epidemic Sound:✗

Client Work

Incompetech:✓

Epidemic Sound:✗

Survives Cancellation

Incompetech:✓Published

Epidemic Sound:✗

Refund Policy

Incompetech:✗

Epidemic Sound:~

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Informational Only - Not Legal Advice

LicenseOrg provides informational summaries of platform license terms for educational purposes only. This is not legal advice. Always consult the platform’s official license page and a qualified legal professional.

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